Gordon Moore, One of Silicon Valley’s Founding Fathers, Dies at 94

Gordon Moore, the tech pioneer and co-founder of Intel, has died at age 94, Intel and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announced Friday. Moore died peacefully in his home, surrounded by family.

Moore was best-known for his famous observation known as Moore’s Law. In 1965, Moore made the observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every year. Moore’s prediction proved to be correct, and the idea of faster, smaller, and cheaper chip technology is still the driving force behind Silicon Valley’s mission to this day.

“Gordon Moore defined the technology industry through his insight and vision,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said. “He was instrumental in revealing the power of transistors, and inspired technologists and entrepreneurs across the decades. We at Intel remain inspired by Moore’s Law and intend to pursue it until the periodic table is exhausted. Gordon’s vision lives on as our true north as we use the power of technology to improve the lives of every person on Earth. My career and much of my life took shape within the possibilities fueled by Gordon’s leadership at the helm of Intel, and I am humbled by the honor and responsibility to carry his legacy forward.”

Moore was a part of William Shockley’s Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the first semiconductor company established in what is now known as Silicon Valley. Moore was also a member of the “traitorous eight”, a group of engineers who left Shockley Semiconductor in 1957 to form the influential Fairchild Semiconductor. At the company, Moore played a big role in producing the world’s first commercially viable integrated circuits.

In 1968, Moore and longtime colleague Robert Noyce founded Intel. From his start in 1968 to stepping down in 2006, Moore served as Intel’s executive vice president, president, chairman of the board, and CEO.

Moore also dedicated many years to philanthropy through the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation, which he established with his wife Betty Moore in 2000. The foundation’s purpose is to support environmental conversation, scientific discovery, and patient care improvements in the Bay Area. To date, the foundation has donated more than $5.1 billion to charitable causes.

Moore is survived by his wife of 72 years, Betty, his two sons, and four grandchildren.

Image Credit: Intel

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.